This invention is directed to a gas compression apparatus and method in which the acoustic energy caused by a rotating impeller of the apparatus is attenuated.
Gas compression apparatus, such as centrifugal compressors, are widely used in different industries for a variety of applications involving the compression, or pressurization, of a gas. These types of compressors utilize an impeller that rotates in a casing at a relatively high rate of speed to compress the gas. However, a typical compressor of this type produces a relatively high noise level, caused at least in part, by the rotating impeller, which is an obvious nuisance and which can cause vibrations and structural failures.